Cerity Partners LLC Has $198.45 Million Stock Position in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)

Cerity Partners LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA - Free Report) by 1.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 362,048 shares of the credit services provider's stock after selling 7,103 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Mastercard were worth $198,446,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. acquired a new position in Mastercard during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Navigoe LLC acquired a new stake in Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. 10Elms LLP bought a new stake in Mastercard during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Truvestments Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 62.5% during the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 65 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Mastercard in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on MA shares. Truist Financial assumed coverage on Mastercard in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $640.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price target on Mastercard from $650.00 to $652.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Evercore ISI began coverage on Mastercard in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. They set an "in-line" rating and a $550.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Mastercard from $660.00 to $670.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Macquarie dropped their price target on shares of Mastercard from $645.00 to $610.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $611.50.

Mastercard Price Performance

MA traded down $13.48 on Friday, hitting $550.04. 3,221,317 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,666,632. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.81, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12 month low of $428.86 and a 12 month high of $594.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $501.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.57, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.02. The business has a 50-day moving average of $568.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $547.57.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The credit services provider reported $3.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.16. Mastercard had a net margin of 45.21% and a return on equity of 196.87%. The business had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.31 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 9th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 9th. Mastercard's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.32%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Craig Vosburg sold 14,051 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $585.05, for a total transaction of $8,220,537.55. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 58,451 shares in the company, valued at $34,196,757.55. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Julius Genachowski sold 312 shares of Mastercard stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $570.67, for a total value of $178,049.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,469 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,833,004.23. This represents a 3.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 38,753 shares of company stock worth $20,351,084. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Mastercard Company Profile

Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. The company offers integrated products and value-added services for account holders, merchants, financial institutions, digital partners, businesses, governments, and other organizations, such as programs that enable issuers to provide consumers with credits to defer payments; payment products and solutions that allow its customers to access funds in deposit and other accounts; prepaid programs services; and commercial credit, debit, and prepaid payment products and solutions.